French Expressions with Perdre - Lawless French Phrases


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Losing French Phrases

The French verb perdre, “to lose,” is found in many idiomatic expressions, including to get mixed up, to waste time, and to go crazy. Learn these and dozens of other French expressions featuring perdre.

Perdre translations

to be down (points)
to get out of (a habit)
to leak (water)
to lose
to mislay
to miss
to ruin
to shed
to spoil
to waste (time, money)

Perdre expressions

perdre confiance		to lose one’s confidence
perdre connaissance		to pass out, lose consciousness
perdre (le) contact (avec un ami)		to lose touch (with a friend)
perdre courage		to lose heart, courage
perdre du poids		to lose weight
perdre du temps		to waste time
perdre du terrain		to lose ground
perdre espoir		to lose hope
perdre l’équilibre		to lose one’s balance
perdre l’esprit		to go out of one’s mind
perdre l’occasion de		to miss the opportunity to
perdre la boule	(informal)	to go crazy
perdre la parole		to lose the power of speech
perdre la raison		to go out of one’s mind
perdre la tête		to go crazy
perdre la vie		to lose one’s life
perdre la vue		to lose one’s vision
perdre le contrôle		to lose control
perdre le fil	(informal)	to lose the thread (of a conversation)
perdre le goût de (travailler, manger)		to lose interest in, to not feel like (working, eating)
perdre le nord	(informal)	to get confused
perdre le souffle		to be out of breath
perdre les pédales	(informal)	to lose track, get confused, go crazy
perdre patience		to lose patience
perdre pied		to be out of one’s depth (literally and figuratively)
perdre quelqu’un de vue		to lose sight of someone
perdre sa page (en lisant)		to lose one’s place (while reading)
perdre ses moyens		to crack up, go insane
perdre son pantalon		to have one’s pants/trousers falling down
perdre son temps		to waste time
perdre un ami de vue		to lose touch with a friend

courir à perdre haleine		to run as fast as one can
Elle a perdu les eaux	(grossesse)	Her water broke (pregnancy)
gagner une bataille mais perdre la guerre		to win the battle but lose the war
J’y perds mon latin		It’s all Greek to me; I can’t make heads or tails of it
n’avoir rien à perdre		to have nothing to lose
Tu n’y perds rien !		It’s no great loss, You haven’t missed anything.
Tu y perds.		It’s your loss.

se perdre		to get lost, lose one’s way to disappear, vanish, be dying out
se perdre dans les détails		to get bogged down in details
se perdre dans la foule		to get lost in the crowd
se perdre dans la nuit		to vanish into the night, get swallowed by darkness
se perdre dans ses pensées		to be lost in thought
se perdre dans le vacarme		to get lost in the din, get drowned out by the din
Je m’y perds		I’m lost, I’m all confused
Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée (tout se transforme)		Matter can neither be created nor destroyed (only transformed)
le sens s’est perdu		the meaning has been lost